6pm – Bad light. Yorkshire 154-0 after 33.3 overs. Lyth 77 and Bean 69. And that is it for the day. No further play. Excellent start.
5.53pm – 150 partnership up. Lyth has 78 and Bean 66. It would be a surprise if we get through these 14.4 overs due to light.
5.42pm – The players are on their way out to the middle. We will resume on 142-0 from 30.2 overs.
5.20pm – There will be a resumption at 5.45pm, with 14.4 overs remaining in the day.
4.58pm – There will be a further inspection at 5.15pm.
4.36pm – The rain has stopped and the ground staff are mopping up. You get the feeling this is last chance saloon for the day. Any more rain and that will be that.
4.09pm – It’s raining heavily again here.
3.37pm – Tea Report. Only 3.2 overs were possible during a heavily rain-interrupted opening afternoon session between Worcestershire and Yorkshire at New Road, with the visitors adding 15 runs.
Yorkshire reached 142-0 from 30.2 overs, and there has been no play possible since 1.55pm. Adam Lyth has reached 75 and Fin Bean 59.
There were two scheduled resumptions for 2.50pm and 3.20pm, only for rain to return almost immediately they had been announced. Tea was taken at 3.30pm.
3.08pm – It’s hosing it down now.
3.04pm – Would you believe it. It’s raining again. And heavily too.
3.03pm – Let’s try again. 3.20pm resumption, with 48 overs remaining in the day.
2.35pm – The rain has disappeared, and we have a scheduled resumption at 2.50pm. Ten overs have been lost from the day’s allocation. And just as I finished the sentence, it’s started raining again.
2.25pm – There is plenty of rain around the circuit at the moment. It’s raining at Blackpool and Taunton in Division One and here and at Cardiff in Division Two.
1.55pm – We’ve moved to 142-0 in the 31st over as Lyth cuts Waite away for four, moving to 75. Bean has 59. And we’re off for rain again.
1.42pm – We’re up and running after lunch, with Lyth and Bean looking to advance from 132-0.
1.30pm – This is Yorkshire’s best opening partnership since September 2017 when Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Shaun Marsh shared 162 in a draw at the Oval.
1.03pm – Lunch Report. Fin Bean and Adam Lyth have both reached fifties during an excellent opening morning for Yorkshire against Worcestershire at New Road, the visitors reaching lunch at 132-0 from 27 overs.
Bean and Lyth have both been strong on the drive during a profligate home bowling and fielding performance after they won the toss and elected to bowl first. Bean is 58 and Lyth 68.
Worcestershire’s bowlers have erred in line and length, while their fielders dropped three catches in 15 minutes at one point, letting Bean off the hook twice on 28 and 41 and Lyth on 41.
Bean was dropped in the gully and at first slip and Lyth at second.
The latter cut his next ball for four to move to 45 and 13,000 career first-class runs.
This has been a fantastic start for a batting line-up without international duo Shan Masood and Dawid Malan, the former on Test duty with Pakistan and the latter resting.
The pitch has a slight green tinge about it, but now that the new Kookaburra ball has been navigated Yorkshire will be delighted to be batting first.
There was a 10-minute delay due to rain from midday.
12.48pm – Lyth reaches his fifty off 75 balls with 10 fours. He adds an 11th almost immediately, a lovely straight drive off Leach. It’s 115-0 in the 24th.
12.39pm – Bean reaches his latest fifty off 67 balls with his ninth boundary, slashed over the slips. We’re 104-0 in the 22nd.
12.37pm – Congratulations to Adam Lyth, who has reached 13,000 first-class runs upon reaching 45. We’re 100-0 in the 21st over.
12.30pm – Lyth and Bean (twice) have been the beneficiaries of three dropped catches in the last 15 minutes, Lyth the latest at second slip off Waite. He cuts next ball for four and has 45 out of 98-0 after 19.
12.22pm – And another drop as Haynes can’t hold on at first slip off Waite. Bean on 41, and it’s 81-0 after 17.
12.14pm – Bean has just been handed a life on 28, edging Finch to Pollock low down at gully but he can’t cling on. 64-0 has since become 73-0. Bean has moved to 37.
12.12pm – Or maybe it won’t be a lengthy delay. The players are on their way out to the middle again. We will resume on 63-0 after 15 overs.
12.03pm – We’re off for rain at 63-0 after 15 overs. Lyth has 31 and Bean 28. If the locals are to be believed, this may be a fairly lengthy delay.
11.53am – Matthew Waite has just bowled a couple of overs, including a maiden.
11.47am – Excellent start this as we move to 50-0 in the 12th over. Lyth and Bean have 23 apiece. It’s quite gloomy now as well.
11.40am – Yorkshire 46-0 in the 11th over. Lyth has 23 of them and Bean 19.
11.17am – We’ve moved to 16-0 the fifth over, with Lyth and Bean eight apiece. Doesn’t seem as if this is going to be a surface which does all sorts. If Yorkshire can get through the new ball unscathed, it might work out well that we’re batting first.
11.06am – Yorkshire 3-0 in the second over. Bean has all three of them.
10.58am – Adam Lyth and Fin Bean are on their way to the middle.
10.57am – The live stream will be available via the Match Centre tab above.
10.43am – The covers are coming off, and the plan is to start on time.
10.36am – Worcestershire have won the toss and will bowl first.
Worcestershire: Gareth Roderick w, Jake Libby c, Azhar Ali, Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Ed Pollock, Matthew Waite, Joe Leach, Josh Baker, Adam Finch, Ben Gibbon.
Yorkshire: Adam Lyth, Fin Bean, James Wharton, Ryan Rickelton, George Hill, Jonny Tattersall c&w, Matthew Revis, Matthew Fisher, Ben Coad, Marl Steketee, Dan Moriarty.
10.32am – There’s still a bit of rain in the air, but the captains are out in the middle for the toss.
9.44am – Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. They’ve just put the covers on. There’s a little bit of rain around, but the players continue to warm up.
9.40am – If you want to recap on our match preview with Dan Moriarty, you can do so via the link below.
9.20am – Good morning from New Road, where it’s dry and overcast. There has been a bit of overnight rain about, but we’re all set to go at 11am.
Whether we get through the day unscathed weather-wise remains to be seen. In fact, there’s a suggestion we could be disrupted right through the match.
While Yorkshire have won one of seven games so far, Worcestershire have won two of eight and sit on the fringes of the promotion battle. They are set to field former Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Waite.
Yorkshire will play Dan Moriarty as their sole spinner this week. Dom Bess has joined former county Somerset on a short-term loan, his second in as many rounds having recently played for Warwickshire. He will face Hampshire at Taunton today.
Ottis Gibson will hand a debut to South African batter Ryan Rickelton, who played for Northamptonshire last year, scoring 539 runs in four mid-season Championship matches.
A live stream will be available once again shortly before we get going at 11. Enjoy the day.
